The honest comparison
ConnectNYC vs Optimum.
Optimum’s intro deals are real — and so is the bill two years later. Here’s the side-by-side New Yorkers actually need.
Side by side
Ten things that decide your next two years.
Optimum’s column shows typical advertised and post-promo figures for NYC — because the bill that matters isn’t the one in the ad.
| What matters | ConnectNYC | Optimum (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $89/mo — locked forever | ~$40–55/mo promo year — then it climbs |
| Price after promo | Still $89 | Typically $75–95/mo |
| Price transparency | One public price | Varies by address & negotiation |
| Contract | None | None — but promo terms apply |
| Data caps | None | None — same as us |
| Equipment | Own it — $149 once | Gateway rental ~$10/mo typical |
| Upload speeds | 50–500 Mbps | Varies widely by line type — cable areas typically 20–35 Mbps; fiber areas do better |
| Cancelling | One click online | Phone-based cancellation |
| Speed guarantee | Written — or we credit you | Best effort |
| Support | 24/7 humans in NY | Mixed reviews, national queue |
Optimum figures are typical advertised and post-promotional numbers, not a quote for your address — full disclosure at the bottom of this page. Bring your own bill and check our work.
Month 1 vs month 36
The quote you got isn’t the bill you’ll get.
A typical Optimum bill starts low and grows up. Ours is fully grown on day one — and then it stops.
Full honesty: a perpetual promo-hopper who renegotiates or switches providers every twelve months can beat us on raw dollars — if they enjoy annual negotiation calls. We built this for everyone else. Bars show typical advertised promo and post-promo pricing plus standard gateway rental; see the full note at the bottom of this page.
What Optimum does well
Credit where due.
An honest comparison cuts both ways. Three things Optimum genuinely gets right:
-
Fiber, where they’ve built itOptimum’s fiber upgrades in parts of the city are genuinely fast — symmetrical speeds that leave their own cable plant in the dust. If your building has it, it’s real.
-
Aggressive intro pricingTheir first-year promos are real discounts, not fine-print mirages. If you’re disciplined about leaving when the promo ends, year one is a legitimately good deal.
-
Bundle discountsIf you actually want TV and a mobile line from the same company, bundling can shave real dollars off the total package.
If you’re in a fiber building, love a bargain, and don’t mind the annual negotiation call, Optimum might genuinely be your move. We’d rather you pick with clear eyes — even if you don’t pick us.
Switching
Leave clean. No drama.
Three steps, zero gap in service. Keep Optimum running until we’ve proven ourselves.
Check your address first
Don’t cancel anything yet. Type your address into the checker below — you’ll know in thirty seconds whether your building is in our live network. No email, no sales call.
Get us running alongside
Pick a plan and we ship the kit free. Most setups take 15 minutes. Run both connections side by side for a few days and let the speed tests settle the argument.
Cancel Optimum, return the gateway
Their cancellation is phone-based, so budget a few minutes. Return the gateway promptly — unreturned-equipment charges are real — and read your final bill line by line.
No pressure. Just an answer.
See if your building is live.
Thirty seconds to find out. No email required, no sales call triggered.
Optimum figures reflect typical advertised promotional and post-promotional pricing and standard equipment fees for NYC addresses as of mid-2026; actual pricing varies by address, line type (cable vs fiber), and promotion. Optimum is a trademark of Altice USA. Check current offers at optimum.com and your own bill before deciding.